www.checkbiotech.org ; www.raupp.info ; www.czu.cz

French farmers may have to pay for the cultivation of GM crops in the
future. Up to 100 Euro per hectare will have to be paid into a liability
fund, February 2006 translated by Stephan Nyeki, Checkbiotech.

The fund will act as compensation for GM out-crossing, which exceeds the
agreed threshold of 0.9 % set by the EU. This was proposed in a preliminary
draft by the French Ministry of Research, reported the agriculture news
agency AIZ.

France intends to implement the EU environmental release guidelines with
this law. The country is under pressure after the EU commission threatened
it with penalty payments in December.

The liability fund will initially exist for five years, and an insurance
model is planned thereafter. The tax is controversial, amongst other
aspects, because seed producers do not have to contribute to the fund.

Left-wing EU Parliamentarians and environmental organizations have
criticized the preliminary draft, because it clears the way for the
commercial cultivation of GM crops in France.

Greenpeace commented that the burden would exclusively fall on the farmers,
while the food industry, seed producers and commerce would get off
scot-free.

Maize producers are also resisting these developments. ?If farmers use
licensed seeds and adhere to cultivation regulations, they should not be
held responsible for any out-crossing,? stressed the AGPM federation.

A legal provision for the coexistence of GM and non-GM crops is urgently
necessary, in the opinion of the French farm federation (FNSEA).

According to Agra-Europe, the FNSEA greeted the planned obligatory
registration of plots on which GM crops are grown. ?This is very positive
with regard to transparency and credibility.? The FNSEA also supports the
liability fund, however, the financial sum is under question.

The president of the right-wing Coordination Rurale farmers lobby, Francois
Lucas, was on the other hand furious about the draft. ?It is completely out
of the ordinary that the farmer should be liable, if he uses licensed seeds
and fulfils cultivation requirements.?

www.checkbiotech.org

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